Tips to IMPROVE your Spoken English

When a language student is asked what their goals are, they almost always say “to improve my oral expression”. When we study a foreign language like English, we find ourselves in many situations where we have to talk to all kinds of native speakers—teachers, restaurant waiters, taxi drivers, the landlord—so it’s important to feel comfortable. Just like improving your written English , listening comprehension, or any other skill, there are very useful techniques specific to improving oral expression. These are eight of our Favourites.

1. Talk, talk, talk

We will start by saying that there is no magic pill to speak better. That would be too easy, right? Basically, the best method to speak well is… speak! Commit to practicing regularly and with as many people as possible. Do you live or study abroad? Take advantage of the thousands of native speakers around you; your friends, their families, your co-workers, classmates, employees at cafeterias, the supermarket, the post office and other places you frequent. If you’re learning in your country, increase your practice time by seeing your fellow students after class, find a language exchange partner, or join an online community of people learning the language.

2. Reflect on your conversations

After a conversation, take some time to reflect. How has it been? How much do you think you have understood? Have you felt comfortable with that topic? Have you heard any words you didn’t know? Simply thinking about the conversation in this way will boost your confidence for the next time you speak (and give you concrete things to work on, like vocabulary you may not have understood).

3. Listen and read English

To speak, you need words, right? Class hours are perfect for learning vocabulary, but there are other ways to increase it: watch movies or listen to music, the radio or podcasts. Read books, magazines and blogs. As you listen and read, look for new and interesting expressions, colloquial terms, and synonyms; Write everything down and consult what you don’t know. This way, you’ll have more material to use the next time you practice.

4. Take notes

Part of the nervousness when speaking is due to the feeling of not knowing what to say. To combat this, make yourself a note. Are you going to the doctor? Before the appointment, look up vocabulary related to your problem and some of the common phrases you will need. Use this technique before going to pay a bill, eat at a restaurant, have a job interview, file a claim, or in any other situation that could make you feel anxious.

5. Talk on the phone

For most people, phone conversations are particularly difficult. Why? Because when talking on the phone, we can’t see the other person’s body language or see how they move their mouths, and those are two things that help a lot in communication. To be more confident on the phone, start with short conversations with your friends. Then it moves on to more complicated calls, like booking appointments or asking for information. (This is a good time to use tip 4 and prepare a list of questions and practical vocabulary that you can use during the call.)

6. Record your voice

We know, we know, hardly anyone likes the sound of their recorded voice, but it’s very beneficial for improving speaking skills! Listening to yourself on a recording, you’ll notice things you haven’t noticed before (you may have a tendency to talk too fast out of nerves, swallow your S’s, or stammer). On the other hand, you may be pleasantly surprised and find that you speak much better than you thought! If you want to earn points, take your recording to your teacher or a friend who is a native speaker and ask them to give you their opinion.

7. Learn English phrases instead of words

Another tip to improve your fluency is to speak using a variety of phrases instead of single words. (It’s what you do all the time in your native language.) Instead of automatically asking “Hello, how are you today?” , change it up a bit with other expressions, like “What’s up, man?” “Hey dude!” or “How ya going, mate?” . (But be careful: some expressions are too informal and not suitable for certain situations!).

8. Have fun

Let’s face it. It’s much easier to learn something when you’re having fun. Goof around a bit when you practice the conversation; talk to yourself when you’re alone, put on songs in English and sing along, pronounce tongue twisters (try our selection of tongue twisters_)_ or make short impromptu speeches on any topic you can think of (snakes, coffee, India, or things like ” If I ruled the world…”, “Three surprising things about me”, or “Which came first, the chicken or the egg”). Good practice and good fun.